A critical component for successful project management is the ability to plan the individual milestones and tasks and their dependencies associated with a project. OpenProject helps to visualize these deliverables via the timeline module. Timelines can be used to display the work packages of individual projects but also allow to construct complex multi-level reporting relationships among several projects, allowing to monitor corporate-scale projects. You can compare and analyze the data directly in OpenProject without the need for additional tools. It is however possible to use external tools such as the PowerPoint task connector Add-in which allows to create timelines based on timeline report in OpenProject.

To open the timeline view, navigate to your target project using the top navigation and select Timelines from the menu.

In case of already existing timeline reports, the first one will be displayed to you automatically.

In the upper left selection you can choose between different reports.

In order to get detailed insights into the plan, use the zooming option. The available units range from days to years.

On the right, you can choose up to which level units should be displayed. If you are interested in the planning structure of only a few projects, you can fold or unfold levels for these projects, for example in order to see sprints or releases.

In the upper right corner, you find options to create a new timeline report, as well as to edit or delete an existing report. Note: This function by default is limited to only roles with sufficient permissions.

Depending on the timeline configuration, different columns can be displayed, for example responsible, start or end date. Please note that depending on the roles and privileges configured in your project or project environment you may not be able to modify these settings.

Depending on the configuration, timelines can display whether elements have recently been changed. If the comparisons view is selected, changes during a set timeframe are highlighted through small symbols. Note: depending on the roles and privileges defined for your project or project environment, you may to be able to select the comparison option.

If you mouse over single work packages, a tooltip appears displaying further information, such as subject, work package number, start and end date or responsible (if selected).

If you are assigned a role with the necessary permissions (for example a manager or a project administrator), you can find additional information about timeline configuration under project settings and in admin guide.

This is possible with OpenProject 7.0. You can create a work package relation between work packages using the “proceeds” or “follows” relationship. When changing the date of the preceding or following work package, the date of the related work package is updated accordingly. The relation between work packages is shown as a line in the timeline.